Admire the unique 22-armed Buddha statue in Nghe An

Gam Temple and Pagoda complex was built in ancient times to worship Buddha and gods who have contributed to the country and the people. Over the years, the relic has been renovated and become a place for religious, spiritual and belief activities of the people of the rice fields and tourists from all over the world.

Gam Pagoda still preserves a number of ancient artifacts, including statues of Buddha, gods, etc. Although the number of ancient statues here is not as large as Duc Son Pagoda (Nam Dan), Phuc My Pagoda (Do Luong), etc., it is quite unique.

According to Venerable Thich Tue Minh - abbot of Gam Pagoda, due to long-term existence, the ancient statues here have become peeled and chipped, so the pagoda has had them painted and repaired to restore the statues' original spirit.

It is known that in the past, Gam Pagoda had a rich system of statues, but during the war years, when the pagoda became the headquarters of the committee, a store, a school, etc., these statues were lost and damaged. A few were kept at Gam Temple and have survived until now.

The statue of Buddha Mother Chuẩn Đề at Gam Pagoda is about 1.2 m high, with 22 arms. On each side of the statue's body, there are 10 arms raised in different directions. The hands are long, slender, wearing bracelets, half-closed, raised forward as if in care.

The statue has two hands clasped in front of the chest in the "lotus palm" position, without two hands on the thighs or two hands holding the Buddha's hat like some other ancient statues of the same type.

Some of the statues’ hands hold objects such as weapons, lotus flowers, etc., which are typical of the statue of Buddha Mother Chuẩn Đề. Venerable Thích Tuệ Minh said that the statue of Buddha Mother Chuẩn Đề at Gam Pagoda is considered one of the unique and rare ancient statues in Nghe An.